Giarratana (34km from Ragusa; 3500 inhabitants;
520m a.s.l.; zip code 97019; area code 0932) is the smallest and the least
populated city in the province of Ragusa and stretches between the Iblean
mountains and flat lands. It is bathed by the Irminio River flowing from the
Lauro Mount. An artificial dam built along the course of the river, about 10km
from Giarratana, has played a major role in both the city’s agriculture and
tourism, since it has given life to a magnificent lake and landscape.

HISTORY

Giarratana has ancient roots. Before the 1693’s
earthquake it stood on a different site called Terravecchia. Prehistoric
settlements were discovered in its surroundings, such as Scalona (2000 BC) and
the more recent Donna Scala, thought to have been populated by Sikel tribes.
Another ancient settlement, named Monte Casale, on the Lauro mount, is believed
to have been the site of Kasmenai, a mysterious town and the military outpost
that the Greek-Syracusans founded in the Southern reaches of their Sicilian
dominions. The earliest record about Giarratana dates from the Norman
occupation, when it was ruled by Goffredo “The Norman”, the Count of Ragusa.
Other sources hold that during the Swabian rule, in 1195, Henry VI, King of
Sicily, granted the town to Rinaldo Acquaviva, and that during Aragon’s reign,
a certain Gualtiero from Caltagirone was proclaimed Lord of the city.

Giarratana was then assimilated into County of
Modica, and later sold, first to Guglielmo and Nicolò Casasegia, then to
Simonetto Settimo, in 1454, whose family ruled the city for a longtime. On 11
January 1693 Giarratana was razed to the ground by an earthquake. The
municipality board decided to rebuilt the city on a close, sunnier site, a hill
referred to as the Poju di li ‘ddisi, where it eventually grew. From
that time, Giarratana shared its destiny with the entire province.

ECONOMY

Giarratana’s economy is mostly agricultural;
legumes, olive oil, cereals, almond are the major outputs. The onion, here
bigger and whiter than everywhere, deserves a special mention. This is, in
fact, celebrated with a well-known and busy festival, held annually on August
14, where people can enjoy onion-related specialties.

TOUR

The tour mainly concerns with the religious
buildings of Giarratana. The 13th century Chiesa di San
Bartolomeo is a fine Baroque building with nave and aisles ornamented with
beautiful stuccoes and frescoes. Scenes of the Old Testament, dated
1836, adorn the nave. The Chiesa di San Antonio Abate, rebuilt in 1748,
with semi-columns and pilaster strips, contains impressive stuccoes and
statues, like the Madonna della Neve, the patron saint of the town. The Mother
Church has a late-Renaissance façade and thickest perimetrical walls. It
hosts important pieces of art, like the Pala dell’Annunziata, dated
1790, the Anime Purganti, the statue of San Giuseppe and a wooden Saint
Barthelemew, unearthed in the ancient city. Ruins of the old Castle are
situated in the upper side of the town.

Between Giarratana and Palazzolo Acreide, along
the road climbing up the Lauro mount, stands the ancient Greek-Syracusan Colony
of Casmene, (644 b.C.) successively declined and abandoned. The hamlet of San
Giacomo, in proximity to the city, is notably known for the so-called Masseria
Torre di San Giacomo, working as both a farm and restaurant, where people
can enjoy delicious home-made food and wine.